The word mj مـِش is used to negate a phrase. It is either placed in front of the verb or preposition, or wrapped around it.
| Structure | English | Arabic | |
| Preposition | I have cigarettes | ondy sǵair |
عـَندي سـَجا َيـَر
|
| I don’t have any cigarettes | maondj sǵair |
مـَــعـَنديــش سـَجا َيـَر
|
|
| There is water | fi miae |
في مـَيا َه
|
|
| There is no water | mafj miae |
مـَــفيــش مـَيا َه
|
|
| kaan | I was there | ána kunt hinak |
أنا َ كـُنت هـِنا َك
|
| I was not there | ána makuntj hinak |
أنا َ مـَــكـُنتـــِش هـِنا َك
|
|
| perfect | I saw Ahmed | Ana juft Ahmad |
أنا َ شـُفت أحمـَد
|
| I did not see Ahmed | Ana majuftj Ahmad |
أنا َ مـَــشـُفتـــِش أحمـَد
|
|
| participle | I know | ána oarif |
أنا َ عا َر ِف
|
| I do not know | ána mj oarif
ána maoarifj |
أنا َ مـِش عا َر ِف
أنا َ مـَعا َر ِفش |
|
| imperfect | He wants to eat | oaiƶ iakul |
عا َيـِز يا َكـُل
|
| He does not want to eat | mj oaiƶ iakul |
مـِش عا َيـِز يا َكـُل
|
|
| he must not eat | maiakulj |
مـَــيا َكـُلــش
|
|
| bi-imperfect | I like this book | baħibb ilkitab dah |
بـَحـِبّ ا ِلكـِتا َب د َه
|
| I do not like this book | mabaħibbj ilkitab dah
less common…mij baħibb ilkitab dah |
مـَــبـَحـِبّش ا ِلكـِتا َب د َه
مـِش بـَحـِبّ ا ِلكـِتا َب د َه
|
|
| Ha-imperfect | I will buy the book | hajtiri ilkitab |
ها َشتـِري ا ِلكـِتا َب
|
| I will not buy the book | mj hajtiri ilkitab |
مـِش ها َشتـِري ا ِلكـِتا َب
|
|
| imperative | go away! | iimji! | |
| don’t go! | use mj+you-imperfect matimjij |
مـَــتـِمشيــش
|
| English | Egyptian | |
| he is not here | hua mj hina |
هـُوّ َ مـِش هـِناَ
|
| he was not here | hua makanj hina |
هـُوّ َ مـَــكا َنــش هـِناَ
|
| I have not travelled outside egypt | masafirtj barra mcr |
مـَــسـَفـِرتـــِش بـَرّا َ مـَصر
|
| I do not know | ána mj oarif |
أنا َ مـِش عا َر ِف
|
| he was not able to come | maqdirj iigi |
مـَــقد ِرش يـِجي
|
| he will not come | mj haigi |
مـِش هـَيـِجي
|
| don’t go! | matimjj |
مـَــتـِمشيــش
|
Sometimes when ma- is used on it own- the -j does not appear after the word. There are no rules about when this can happen.
examples from www.lisaanmasry.com copyright © 2007-2012 Mike Green